NEWS
ALERT
For more information, please contact Maria Kabalina at cis@ilhr.org or 212-661-0480 ext.112.
For Immediate Release
President Bush Meets with Belarusian Civil Society Activists
FEBRUARY 27, 2006 - At a White House meeting today, two wives of disappeared public figures in Belarus obtained assurances from President George Bush of continued support for human rights in Belarus. “We are pleased that the President made himself personally available to demonstrate his deep concern for issues like disappearances in the heart of Europe on the eve of what will likely be unfair Presidential elections March 19,” Robert Arsenault, President of the International League for Human Rights, who attended the meeting, commented. President Bush met with Svetlana Zavadskaya, wife of cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky who disappeared in 2000, president of the Dmitry Zavadsky Foundation and with Irina Krasovskaya, president of the We Remember Foundation.
Human rights were the focus of the discussion which included the topics of disappeared persons, political prisoners, and restrictions on independent mass media. According to Zavadskaya, “this meeting was very important not only for me but also for all people who want to bring democracy to Belarus.” Krasovaskaya said this meeting was very special because “once again it proves that the U.S.A. supports the democratic ideals in the whole world, including Belarus.”
The International League for Human Rights, now in its 65th year, is the oldest human rights organization in the U.S. The League’s special mission has been defending human rights advocates who risk their lives to promote the ideals of a just and civil society in their homelands.
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